Your house
by Loz06
Summary: This is voyeuristic she tells herself, it's snooping, it's invasion. Hell it's illegal, that’s the first and only argument she needs to have with herself … The hallway leads to his bedroom


Title: Your house  
  
Author: Loz  
  
E-Mail: loz06@yahoo.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Category: Leo/Margaret  
  
Series: First of three. Your house, Her house, Our house  
  
Spoilers: Nup  
  
Archive (if applicable): Yep  
  
Feedback: The good, the bad and the very ugly it's all appreciated.  
  
Summary: This is voyeuristic she tells herself, it's snooping, it's invasion. Hell it's illegal, that's the first and only argument she needs to have with herself ... The hallway leads to his bedroom  
  
Author's Notes: Song is from Alanis Morissette, Your House, a.k.a. the secret song on Jaggard Little Pill.  
  
Disclaimers: Soooooo not mine, all yours Aaron, likewise Alanis.  
  
~*~  
  
"What am I signing?" Leo McGarry asked his assistant, usually he didn't ask, but then he always knew what he was signing away, this time he didn't.  
  
"It's an invoice from the people who fixed your bathroom."  
  
"Oh hell." Margaret wonders what could possibly be wrong, for 6 months he'd been complaining about the plumbing, the crumbling tiles and the rising damp.  
  
"I need you to take this to the super."  
  
"You don't want me to just mail it off with the rest?"  
  
"No you can't, he wanted the bill today so he could organize the payment for Monday."  
  
Margaret wonders what sort of landlord lets the tenants fix their own problems without seeing the finished job; I guess it makes the tenants happy she thought to herself.  
  
He fumbles around for his keys.  
  
"Your top drawer." She mumbles. How would he get through the day without her?  
  
"This one is for the front door, he holds up a large brass key, the super's apartment is 2B, make sure you give it to him or slide it under his door."  
  
"Yes sir." She takes the key from him.  
  
"You can go to lunch after that." He says as she makes her way back to her outer office.  
  
"Do you want me to get you anything?"  
  
"No thanks."  
  
~*~  
  
Even from outside Margaret knows she couldn't afford even one room in this block of apartments.  
  
She knocks politely on the landlords' door and listens as the heavy footsteps approach the door.  
  
"Good afternoon." She says handing him the invoice. He's not at all what she expects to find in this building, bare feet, tight shorts, beer belly and greasy hair.  
  
"McGarry, 4C thanks." He says gruffly and promptly slams the door in her face. Now she knows why Leo had the repairs done himself, he looks like the kinda of guy who appreciates a beer in front of the football more than he does a well-maintained building.  
  
"Thank you." She says meekly to the closed door.  
  
Margaret turns on her heel and heads towards the exit, intending to get some lunch and some for him as well.  
  
Then she looks at the keys in her hands, one of those keys is to his front door, 4C.  
  
She turns and heads to the elevators, however impatiently takes the stairs.  
  
*  
  
I went to your house  
  
Walked up the stairs  
  
*  
  
She stands outside 4C, keys in hand, rolling them over and over, contemplating what she is about to do.  
  
She tries 3 keys till a silver one clicks.  
  
Suddenly she's standing in his hallway behind his closed door.  
  
*  
  
Opened your door without ringing your bell  
  
Walked down the hall  
  
*  
  
This is voyeuristic she tells herself, it's snooping, it's invasion. Hell it's illegal, that's the first and only argument she needs to have with herself.  
  
The hallway leads to his bedroom  
  
*  
  
Into your room where I can smell you  
  
And I shouldn't be here  
  
Without permission  
  
Shouldn't be here  
  
*  
  
Margaret looks around his room, which is decorated, in earthy dark greens and browns.  
  
There are few decorative ornaments, he's much too practical for that, and the bed is unmade.  
  
The single most striking thing is how the whole room smells like him, as if he were standing right next to her.  
  
*  
  
Would you forgive me love if I dance in your shower?  
  
Would you forgive me love if I laid in your bed?  
  
Would you forgive me love if I stayed all afternoon?  
  
*  
  
She can see the bathroom off to the left, his bed is inviting and she wonders how long she can stay before her lunch break is over. How would she explain her presence if he was to come home now.  
  
*  
  
I took off my clothes  
  
Put on your robe  
  
*  
  
Margaret runs her hands down the terry-cloth robe that hangs on the front of the cupboard door, she sheds her jacket to the floor and wraps herself in the robe. It's still a little damp, probably from a morning shower and it smells like his cologne.  
  
*  
  
Went through your drawers  
  
And I found your cologne  
  
*  
  
She finds the cologne in his top drawer under shirts and underwear.  
  
A brush tangled with slithers of his sandy hair sits on top of the dresser.  
  
She watches herself in the dresser mirror as she glides the brush through her own red hair.  
  
*  
  
Went down to the den  
  
Found your CD's  
  
And I played your Joni  
  
*  
  
In the living area Margaret presses play and Joni Mitchell soon fills the living room, she sways around the room in time to the music, cloaked in his robe, inhaling his scent and cologne. She imagines he is there, dancing with her.  
  
*  
  
And I shouldn't stay long  
  
You might be home soon  
  
I shouldn't stay long''.  
  
*  
  
For the first rational moment so far she looks at her watch, 1:15, any later than 2pm and he'll start asking questions.  
  
*  
  
Would you forgive me love if I dance in your shower?  
  
Would you forgive me love if I laid in your bed?  
  
Would you forgive me love if I stayed all afternoon?  
  
*  
  
She dances into the bathroom, picking up the razor from in the shower, touching each of the objects surrounding the bathroom sink and in his bathroom cabinet.  
  
She continues twirling her way back into the bedroom, laying herself on his bed, smothering herself in his bedclothes.  
  
She thinks she could quite possibly stay like this all afternoon.  
  
Then she sees it on the bedside table.  
  
*  
  
I noticed a letter that sat on your desk  
  
It said  
  
"Hello, love,  
  
I love you so love  
  
Meet me at midnight."  
  
*  
  
Margaret immediately recognizes it as Jenny's writing.  
  
*  
  
And no, it wasn't my writing  
  
I'd better go soon  
  
It wasn't my writing  
  
*  
  
She rolls out of the bed, deciding now is the best time to go, having discovered she's back in his life and her window off opportunity has closed.  
  
*  
  
So forgive me love if I cry in your shower  
  
So forgive me love for the salt in your bed  
  
So forgive me love, if I cry all afternoon  
  
*  
  
Tears flow from her eyes as she puts back the personal items, shrugs off his robe and hangs it up again, putting her jacket back on and turning off the CD.  
  
She leaves behind the silent apartment with a bang of his front door.  
  
She feels quite able to cry for the rest of the afternoon.  
  
~*~  
  
What she doesn't realize is the date on the envelope of the letter is from 20 years ago and the pile of paper it was on top of is to be shredded and recycled.  
  
And she doesn't realize his robe is now mingled with her smell as well.  
  
~*~ 


End file.
